Lynchfield (E 12)

Name: Lynchfield

Thomas John Lynch
Written by Administrator
Thursday, 22 February 2007
Thomas John Lynch was the eldest son of Catherine and Patrick Lynch of Springfield. He was born in Reddersburg on the 8th February 1866. The family travelled down to Grahamstown later that year for his baptism in St Patrick’s on 29 July 1866.1 Tom attended St Aiden’s College in Grahamstown but little else is known about his early years.

Tom joined his brothers on Commando during the Anglo Boer War and was also a despatch rider. In his statement supporting his father's claim for damages, Tom says:





The brief comment below about De Wet’s attack on the British would explain why they were smarting and took action against the Lynch family!

“Out on the veldt, Boer commandos were still skirmishing and attacking. At Sannah's Post, not far from Bloemfontein, three squadrons of British cavalry, two Royal Horse Artillery batteries and some infantry were guarding a large convoy of supplies when de Wet struck with 2,000 men and field guns. In a fast, savage fight, 19 British officers and 136 of their men were killed or wounded and 426 taken prisoner. Seven guns were lost and the whole of the convoy.”3

Mrs Swartz, wife of the current owner of Springfield, says she is able to point out shell holes on Springfield which were caused by Gen de Wet shelling the British forces after his Commando had occupied the waterworks at Sannah’s Post.

While is custody, as has been reported elsewhere, the farm house was looted. Three of the Lynch brothers later worked for the British at Remount Stations, but, as Patrick was ill, Tom and the others remained to farm Springfield. Tom, Jack and John Thomas seem to have buyers of wheat for a Mr Sonnenberg, who had a contract to supply the British forces. In one incident, 40 bags of their wheat were destroyed when the British burned down the mill and they submitted a claim for compensation. After a long time their claim was disallowed. It is interesting to note the animosity in the official comments of senior officers upon the claim documentation, which, once again, has its origin in British Intelligence. “I don’t think these people deserve any consideration. This man was a Boer dispatch rider like his brothers.” “On no occasion has he ever in the very slightest offered us assistance toward bringing the war to an end with information or by joining the F.G. (farm guard). Bad business character”4 So much for the Oath of Neutrality and its protection of burghers; it would seem that you were required to rat on your mates as well! This is probably early evidence of the British frustration with their inability to bring the war to a quick conclusion and which later resulted in Kitchener's scorched earth policy.

When Patrick Lynch of Springfield drew up his will in November 1909, shortly before his death, he instructed that the farm be subdivided. Springfield (1113 Morgen), which included the original Springfield homestead and outbuildings, the shop near the top dam, the top dam and the lands and garden at the homestead, was left to Tom Lynch.5 This was possibly fortuitous, for Tom was the only son to have retained possession of most of his inheritance until his death. There is a story in the family that the name of the farm was changed from Springfield to Lynchfield, apparently at the suggestion of Jan Smuts, but this is not borne out by the current title deeds. Possibly this originated from the fact that the nearby station is known as Lynchfield? In any event, Springfield became the haven for many of the Lynch clan who had fallen on hard times. My father would tell of the fact that there were 17 children in residence at Springfield when he was a child.


http://www.inrelation.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=35&Itemid=28


Google count:
Date:

Historic fact:

Other interesting info:

Where to stay: